To The Circus !
by A.J.RITE
Summary: Leading a city hard, especially when the city is against you, and when a carnival came to town promising magic and merriment. Wisty gets a little more then she bargained for when she stayed a few minuets past closing time.( this takes place after The Lost but I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum)
1. porlogue

**Part One: Something Different This Way Comes.**

Prologue

A young man kneeled at the bank of river staring down at the shattered reflection. Dipping his hands into freezing water he looked across the waterway at the skyline of the city. He would return there some day he told himself splashing water in his face running it through his long hair. Rolling up the wet grey sleeves of the robe, he stood up and turned to a friendly figure approaching.

Her dark chestnut brown hair floated around her as if submerged in water, her pale clothes wiped and swirled being held by a glittering breastplate and broken chainmail around her limbs. She had a bright glow around her that he could only describe as warm. He called Joan, even though it was clear she didn't have a name. Looking over her shoulder to a few feet away stood a line of woman and a few men of varying ages dressed in the white clothes as Joan minus the armor. They emitted a blueish glow and dared not approach the river, staying close to the three line of the forest. Within forest stood serval tall black cloaked figures wielding large scythes, sickles and spears.

Joan clapped her hands, drawing the young man's attention back to the glowing woman. She smiled and held out her hand, the young man mimicked the gestor knowing it was time for him to be tested. It was a daily event and was much, much more pleasant then the experiments done under the cruelty of the N.O. He watched as Joan's light warp and wan as a small twisting vine emerged from her palm and landed gently on his fingertips. He closed his eyes focusing on an image in his head as vibrating pluses grew in his chest. He opened his eyes once frost forming on his fingers breaking the vine, the glowing and shrouded peopled nodded and with a deep breath from the piece of the vine in his hand came a flower bud. He rode the power coming from within himself making bud bloom, the flower blindingly white buzzing with its own energy.

A smile spilt Joan's face grabbing his arm raising to the viewing crowed, who silently shared her enthusiasm. The young man stared up at her as she began to lead him up to the forest, and clam fluid movement he escaped the woman's hold. Turning back to skyline of oppressed city, he narrowed gaze inhaling the sweet scent of the strange blossom. He shuttered as he felt a spiraling heaviness in every cell of his body, and took an other breath of the flower. Watching the petals shrivel quickly dust, he exhaled a thin puff smoke escaped swirling into the distant sky.

(AN: thank you for reading/ sitting through the prologue I know it seemed pointless but it'll make scene later. the first chapter will be out in a week or two so review if you like or dislike the idea so far.)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"No!" Wisty shouted, throwing down a large folder of paper on the desk with other equally large stacks, looking appalled at the group of middle aged to elderly men. They recoiled as if she would set the desk ablaze with her fury and was genuinely thinking about it.

The time of parties and rest where over once again, and she was working and it had been a pleasant change. trying to rebuild the city, working with the people in hopes that history won't repeat itself. But, it was repeating right in front of her for days know.

"Now Miss Allgood." A large man with rounded cheeks and brush eyebrows spoke up. "We as respectable group of citizens believe that this proposal, is for the safety of the city."

"Safety!" Wisty snapped feeling raw heat well inside her "Safety of what?" she looked at the dictionary size stack of papers. The proposal for improved city safety, version seven, proposed that people with magical power weren't allowed in certain building and it allowed shop and other businesses to denied service and work to magical folk.

"As we have explained, Miss Allgood -" another spoke up, as the tip of her hair ignited, and the group coward as she stood up. Her eye's staring through them making them take a large synchronized step back.

"Whit!" Wisty shouts a wide grin erupted across her face. Her bother entered the large office half wake holding several stacks of paper. "These fine gentlemen, want to talk about city safety." She said with false kindness scooping up random papers in her arms moving swiftly to the door.

"Again." Whit looked more drained at sight of the group of men.

"Again." She said walking out and closing the office door. Her bother was better at getting through to people, but they always came back crazier and set their decisions.

She left the building taking dirty side streets to avoid, snooping reporters and people who she had never met before trying to worm into her life. With far, far too many mothers who had once sworn elegance to The One showing off their son like they were well bread poodles. She felt like she was stuck between what she and Whit needed to do, and the awful things that the city wanted them to do.

Wisty let out a sigh at the sight of her apartment. Entering her she saw her cats napping on the coach, like nothing of importance was going on. Siting besides her cats she flipped through the stack of paper she had carried home and grimaced at the proposals.

Magical people must wear dark or black scarfs while in public.

All government buildings should be separated into magic and nonmagic sections for easier cleaning.

Children with magical powers or have magical families must attend a different schools.

For the first eight years of life a child can be taken form there family and tested on, so science can better explain the effects of magic on a child's mind.

A person with magic powers and a person with natural abilities cannot be legally married without-

Wisty flange the stack of papers to the air the edges blackening with flame. She happened replaced her fire detectors after first instant of setting her apartment on fire, but she didn't care she wanted to let every horrid word burn. She cracked smile scanning the burning papers, until something caught her eye. An envelope seemingly untouched flames just beginning to lick the corners; a bright purple wax seal with an imprint of a man hold a massive sphere on his back, his muscles straining, knees buckling from the weight of his burden. She watched as the melting wax gave him the illusion of sweat, she could strangely sympathizes with the wax image.

She pulled out the smoking envelope pulling out a partially chard letter. She examined the letter the contends was short but, the hand writing switched from an elegant scripted to a sudden jaunty scribbles of a child as if written by two different people.

" _Dear Miss and or Mr. Allgood,_

 _I'm honored to announce that for the first time The Atlas Carnival has arrived to your marvelous city. We know you are busy person, and we can see that the city is still in the mites of recovery. But, it would you be such an honor for the performers, mechanics, and pretty much everyone if you attend. Now please do understand that, we at The Atlas Carnival are not asking you to cut a ribbon or give falsified praise. All we ask is for you to enjoy the first traveling fair to use real magic."_

'Real magic?' she asked herself, even though more question swirled in her mind.

" _Yes, magic there are no smoke and mirrors if you see something extraordinary it's real."_

"Oh holy M!" She shouted to no one as a sad realization. A traveling circus was perfect for those how use magic to escape, may it be from the N.O or Bloom or just unhappy parents that wanted you to submit your powers. It was perfect if you just needed to disappear into a place so strange that no one could find you.

" _The Atlas Carnival will be residing in North end of the city, being a fellow spell caster you should have no trouble finding it._

 _Sincerely,"_

She stopped reading the bottom part of the becoming unreadable .The north side the fire in the room died instantly. Her last trip to the bombed out abandoned side of the city didn't leave the best taste in her mouth and was close to a certain mounint that she was sure everyone on top of wanted her dead. But, she didn't want to refuse the invite, she was curious and she was running thin on friends and allies in the city, and what was taking one day off work to have a little fun goanna do.

 **(AN: Thank you for reading, and hope to enjoy. What do you think a circus using real magic could be like? Next chapter will be out late January. Have a nice holiday)**


	3. Chapter 2

chapter 2

Wisty zipped and swerved between cars on her motorcycle as she made her way to the location of the carnival. she was happy that she kept it even though Whit insisted that getting a car would make her look more professional but, she never saw the roads leading to the bombed out distracts so crowded before. A low buzz of magic filled the air, and was actually surprised that the letter wasn't kidding when it said the she could find it with magic. In the distance she saw a strange structures nestled in the distance; a three wheeled almost triangular looking Ferris wheel, an abandoned building with long opaque fabrics billowing out of window like escaping clouds and a massive, and a large metal nest looking configuration with fabrics of varying shades and color weaved between.

She parked her bike in an empty lot where some other car that carried family and groups of teens just looking for a good time. She left her bike there knowing that, being the current leader anyone who'd trying steal are stuff had a serious death wish. Fallowing the crowd she jump startled a loud popping sound, she looked up to see a powdery pink cloud above her. The crowed clapped and cheered, as Wisty looked up to see the strangest flying contraption. It was pure white and triangular, shaped like an upside down hang glider six insectoid 'wings' flapped at the sides. The rider tossed something that she couldn't see as a white and mint green clouds blossomed crossed the sky.

Her eyes widened, there was some strangely familiar about the pilot. She floated above the crowd who gave her a mixed reaction. "Hey!" she caught the pilot's attention, looking over at her, face covered in complex looking breathing mask. "Your clothes." She pointed at the vaguely familiar suits that he wore. The pilot shook his head stirring the flying thingumajig away from her. "Come on I know can hear me!" She shout as the pilot flipped back around to her tossing a black painted sphere in to the air. A loud bang sent her falling back a blue powder erupted in front of her, reflectively she shot a flame into the colored puff.

"Oh-!" escaped lips as a chain of cracks rumbled through the cloud before releasing a starburst of heat and light. She felt the air rush around her as the world turned black.

When she opened her eye she to be in serious pain or at least face first on the ground. Instead she was staring at cheering crowd below her, as the sound of mechanical weirs above her she felt a strong arm around her. Looking up she the mask of the pilot he had managed to flip the contraption caching her this one arm while managing to hang on the machine. Being so close the pilot she finally realized what made the stranger familiar, his outfit strikingly similar to, no, it was a N.O. uniform. The white of the suit had been dyed a morbid back as the red had been over taken a sickly bruise purple. The shoulders and knees where replaced by a thick oily looking leather.

"Reneged" was branded into right shoulder.

"Let me go!" she shouted, even though everything on the modified uniform screamed 'I'm not with the bad guys.' A deep part of her told her to get away from the masked reneged or burn him alive, and with about a hundred pairs of eyes still staring up at her, the latter wasn't an option.

The strange savior freed her on command, Wisty watched as he effortlessly flipped contraption around zipped out of sight, as floated down joining the crowd.

"Wow!" a slim looking woman in a black with security printed on the chest "You lucky girl."

"Yeah." She said sarcastically.

"No really." The woman pointed and whistled at a dispersing veil of smoke above them. Wisty let of a whistle wondering what was put in those powder bombs in order to cause such a reaction. She turned to ask woman who if she knew the pilot. Only to see that she had went off to direct people away scene and back to grounds.

Wisty preceded with caution, already sure that her stunt would end up on some type news channel in one form or another. She could all ready look on her brother's face, when he thinks that's what she was trying to do on her day off. "Wispy!" a voice shout a few feet ahead of her it was squeaky and didn't sound exactly human, she turn to see a doll? A puppet? It was small going up only going up to her keen dressed in long orange and blue checkered clothes covering every inch of the tiny body leaving a loose slip for to amber eyes to peer out of. "Wyou, Wyou, krooow!" it held out an envelope impossibility between its arms. Wisty took the envelop making the thing chirp and crowd, she opened to see the same flip flopping hand writhing from the invite.

"Dear Wisteria,

Frist and foremost, thank you and welcome for coming here. But I must apologize, for saying that we had nothing to ask of you."

'Oh boy.' She braced herself whatever insanity would greet her as a request.

"You see Kridi, the little guy who handed you this letter. He's what you'd say a fan of you, and it would really make his day if you let him guide you around.

I understand if you don't want fallow him around just say "no thank you" and he'll leave you be. But, if you're willing to make the little guy happy just his name.

Apologies,

N.F"

She blinked, and read the letter and read it again. No, 'this is a trap and we're totally going to take over now.' Just a simple request and two little letter initial. She looked at the thing called Kridi hopping up and down making excited chirps, she didn't really want to fallow the little curiosity around. But, the fact that something that she was guessing wasn't actually human besides her cats that seemed to have such admiration for her, and it was so strongly endearing.

"Okay Kridi." She smiled at the little curiosity, it actually felt good for her to agree to something after saying no for so long.

"Wispy!" throw its arms up into the air squealing in response

"It's Wisty." She corrected and Kridi tiled its little head.

"Wwiisssty?" it cooed repeating her.

"Yeah so you going show me around?" she looking at colorful expanse of the carnival, songs wisped in the air some tunes she recognized.

"Krooow!" Kridi crowed running in a small circle.

"So what are we going to do?" she asked somewhat annoyed and amused by the little curiosity mannerisms. Kridi let out another crow hoping off in a random direction.

"Dere, Dere!" Kridi bounced excitedly pointing with one arm.

Wisty looked at that what it was pointing at, a four tiered spinning octopus ridded painted pink and mint echo tip a three metal grated spheres. She watched Kridi skip the back exit of the ride crowing to the ride attended. Wisty was surprised and smiled when the attended open the back gate for them she didn't know that fallowing around Kirdi would get her a free ride pass. She quickly climbed in to one of the capsule and strapped herself the set inside as the attendant helped the other who actually waited to ride.

She felt the ride start, and gave a startled scream then ride shot up spun at a surprising but not unnatural speed. She was spun lifted and dropped, she felt disoriented as she watched world go vertical to horizontal, to upside down.

"Wwistty..." Kridi squeaked as the ride slowed and hopped over to Wisty

"I'm" she stumbled out of the grated capsules "Okay, yeah, I'm okay." She laughed, the ride though not the simple children's ride she had fun maybe even a thrill.

"Nix?" The little curiosity chirped

"Next?" Wisty clarified "Well, as fun as that was." She looked at the carnival ride "Let's take a quick break."

"Hmmmm." Kridi tilted confused, Wisty wondered how much did the little thing understood.

"What do you for fun?" she asked as it skipped away.

"Krooow!" it crowd and twirled off, Wisty fallowed.

The curiosity lead her to a foggy plastic tent, Wisty looked the sign that advertised rare and exotic plants from around the world for display. She looked back to see Kirdi wiggling through a slip a fold in the plastic. She gave a shrug crawling behind it felling a thick slate colored grass creeped under hands, beads of water slowly dripping on her shoulders.

"Wispy, Wispy" Kridi called up to her, looking up at the thing she has been following around holding a tiny white flower "wyou." It held it out to her.

"Oh thanks." She picked herself up on to her knees and took the flower. "Wow." She sighed looking around at bushes with translucent curling leafs and thin gray trees with wiry branches that sprouts violet fuzz. She felt let the she staring into another world of dull colors but full of life unlike Shadowland, Wisty teared up remembering the past year and how the world changed then changed again and again.

"What the…." Her head shot up hear Kridi making a mix of a gurgle and a purr tiptoeing around a bush.

"Broo brooo." It seemed to call to something "Broow." The bush shook much to Wisty's shock. A small girl about eight years old crawled out of the brush. Kridi hopped off to Wisteria and childe fallowed. The girl's skin was a thin green with rough gray slouches, a large tee-shirt draped over her body. She start a Wisty with pink eyes that drifted to the flower in her hand. The girl made a choked noise her tightly, Wisty was surprised by the strange girls action and saw a small rose shaped marking on her arm tough she could tell it was magic but I was harmless from what she could tell.

"What's you name." She asked the girl, and she only made another choking noise and Wisty felt thick dewy beads landed on the back of her shirt. The girl sludgy jerked away and dived back into the growth Kridi rushed her before Wisty could register what happened. She raced after the two around the small garden before stopping.

"Shh, shh." A male security worker held the child gently "it's okay." He stroked her hair and Wisty noticed a matching rose shaped marking on his hand. "Wisteria I believe?" the man noticed

"Yeah." She answer going defensive

"Listen you're a special guest her I'm not going kick you out or tell my boss." He looked away from her

"Why?" Wisty questioned his choice

"Wispy!" Kirdi chirped and the man gave it a star that say 'now I know how this happened.'

"Rock Rose isn't an attraction she was just hiding till she could cope with her problems." He held the little green girl who whimpered "Now this garden is closed, enjoy your stay." Wisty nodded and went out of the plastic tent. Kirdi watched her walked and walked before sitting down screaming in to the palms of her hands, she felt angry and sadly confused. She wanted to take it out on someone, blame someone but there was no one left to blame.

"Wispy..." Kirdi cooed hopping up beside her. "Dere, dere." It patted her a pat with its selves and Wisty smiled inwardly on how the little curiosity try to make her happy.

"I'll be fine, it's just..." she breathed and shuttered at the circumstance that a child so young would hide in a garden of traveling carnival because she couldn't understand what she had become. Wisty wondered if where a way she could find out was.

"She's has happiness." Kirdi said with almost shocking clarity

"Really?" Wisty looked at the curiosity.

"Hap-E-ness." It crowed hopping off the bench pointing and walking around.

Wisty watched Kirdi trying to direct her off the bench and somewhere else by jumping and spinning about. She thought about it besides a few emotional slip up she was having fun and felt obligated to al east spend another hour letting the curiosity show her around.

"Boot, Booooot." Kridi cried pointing to a tunnel water ride. She looked at the sign that advertised that the rider won't have the same experience twice, with the tunnel showing over a thousand different stories and folk lore from around the known world.

Wisty became curious and got the small blue and yellow boat alongside Kirdi and the boat swayed being pulled into the tunnel. Bright painted starting to illumination the sides of the tunnel and the narrator began to speak.

"Once upon a time, there live a humble huntsman, his wife and daughter. The huntsman is a hard worker and would leave his family for weeks at a time. The mother did her best to raise her daughter and the daughter helped her and showed her as much love and kindness as possible. Though the mother had an illness a sickness whenever her husband was gone the more the woman was loved the wicked she became.

One day in a fit of the mother's madness lead her daughter deep into the forest.

'Mother what we are doing here.' The daughter asked out of worry and love for her mother

'Wretched child you are not my daughter.' The woman hissed 'now stay here and do not move 'till I return.' And the girl obeyed for she loved her mother, but when day turned to dusk she cried losing faith.

'Lovely girl so sweet and far the do you cry?' a gentle voice called out from the forest. She turn to voice to see a man with the eyes the color of million jewels and clothes to fine and elaborate for even the richest king.

'I'm scared and alone, sir.' She sniffled speaking the truth. The man smiled and kneeled before the girl.

'Oh sweet child I envy you for I've lived my life and solitude yet do not know loneliness. I've seen the horrors of the world but I don't know fear.' He put a hand on his heart and took the girls hands with the other 'Please come with me child and teach the things that give mortal man sorrow and I promise you will never feel pain again.' The girl agreed and man kept his promise, yet unbeknownst to her that night the mysterious man took the form of a double jawed serpent and killed parents"

(AN: sorry for it being late, expect the next chapter in late April or mid-May.)


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Now what." Wisty Yawned blinking as the boat was pulled out of the tunnel. The day had gotten hotter since she had first gotten onto the children's boat ride.

"Kroow." The curiosity of a guide crowed hoping off the ride waving her to follow. She stepped out of the ride watching Kridi hop and dance, attracting a small crowd of onlookers. Mostly frightened looking parents trying to pull entertained children who want to get closer. Wisty grumble at the shock on the protective adults face as she followed Kridi she could hear them rifle in their pockets looking for something to take pictures of her probably to sell them to the press to create some sort of lie about her.

"Free movies uh?" Wisty looked at the heavy black tarps laid over a rectangular tent, the curiosity chirped entering the tent. The interior was pure darkness except the shaft of light from a projector in the back, Kirdi lead her through the dark keenly taking a set in a large metal folding chair. Wisty sat and watched the 'movies' they were short thirty minutes at its longest somewhere in other languages somewhere just a trailer of movies from the time before the N.O. After a while Wisty she went to the back of the tent where a lager wooden booth that the projector sat atop of "Hey." She tapped a small glass window where an old man sat down with one hand on a typewriter another drawing in a sketch book.

The man looked up from his multitasking and taped a note to the window. _' To protect the work from damage or fraudulent crimes all full versions of the works show will only be shown on special events (see calendar for upcoming dates.) or with a letter of permission from N.F.'_

"Thanks." Wisty sighed, before leaving the tent Kirdi at her heels. The little curiosity and her walked around the grounds looking at rides and stands that travel around with the circus. Until Wisteria's attention was grabbed by rust colored tent.

' _The Hall Of Hells.'_ Was splashed on a sign in fake blood letters, an elaborate illustration of a gray human like figure with strange cyan hair, and a large cartoony grin with rigged piranha like teeth. She smirked it was a haunted house, apparently made with magic she laughed at the thought. After going through Shadowland nothing could scare her anymore.

"No! No!" Kridi grabbed her when she turned to go in the tent.

"What are you scared?" she teased her guide, hearing playful screams from inside.

"Uh Hu." Kridi squeaked it cloth cap jiggled as it nods.

"Come on just a little peek." She pulled Kridi closer to the tent, a low hanging iron scent wafted out of the tent.

"No!" Kridi gave an animal scream pulling away it looked extremely pitiful to her.

"Okay." She let the curiosity go disappointed making a note to trying again later. As she turned to follow her guide once more the day growing hotter as it went on, Kridi movements become sluggish under its outfit.

"Frood, frood." Kridi slink up to a food vender wavering making sharp panting noises. The cashier glared at the dressed curiosity, and slapped Kridi way like a disgusting rat.

"Hey!" Wisty shouted becoming protective over the little thing.

"Sorry didn't know he was with you." The cashier eyes widened recognizing her. "Y'know foods half off today, but I'll make it free, anything you want, just don't tell the boss, I hurt that thing, ok." The cook staff nodded worried.

"Okay one of everything make it two for the little guy." Wisty said smugly and the group who obeyed her wordlessly, Kridi making a squeal of affection. Moments later the two sat at a plastic table a spread of, corn dogs with dip, deep fried vegetables of myriad color ant textures, funnel cakes of every flavor piled high with fruit, fried junk food Alamode, and sugary drinks flavored. Wisty watched Kridi shove food through the slip in its outfit as she munched on a deep fried chocolate bar. While she ate, she wondered what type of power the boss held over the carnival knowing by the buzz of magic and color everywhere that it was clear that The One wasn't running this show. Yet, all the workers she encountered didn't care about her or didn't want a bad word from her slipping out and finding its way to the boss.

"Excuse me miss you done." A small voice spoke up beside her. She looked over the group to see a group of five boys between the age of six and twelve their thin bodies dress cloths way to lager for them.

"Yes." She looked group of tan boys their big brown eyes staring hungrily at the tons of uneaten food.

"We can take in home for you." A smaller boy holding a notepad he had a slight accent that was vaguely familiar to her.

"What?" Wisty looked confused at the boy.

"We're good at, running we ran for our big brothers all the time." Another boy with a thicker accent.

"Yes, yes they walk know but they would run if not so busy." The first boy explained "We box and take it for you?"

"No actually, but if you boys are hungry from running you can have it." Wisteria declined standing up, Kridi followed her a cup of soda latched between its sleeves.

"Aww thanks pretty lady." One of the boy cheered, as the group pounced around the table, Wisty waved goodbye to the boy. She walked away until one boy spoke, she did understand what he had said, but with the accent she knew where the boys were from, the desert. Wisty turned to the group of kids the boys looked at her, eyes widening at same realization and within a second the group shattered at a seed that would put a professional runner to shame.

Fear and worry washed over her, all the horseman from the desert had retreated back to where ever they have been or died because of that awful amalgamation of The One and Pearce. Then what children of that place doing here 'because they're kids.' A thought wormed into her mind that wasn't quite hers, the horseman only wanted to invade the city because the desert had become a terrible place to live. Those boys went out of that place so badly they joined a traveling carnival just to the city, and she felt strangely guilty at the fact she had scared them away.

"Step right up, step right up, roll the ball first horse to cross the river wins a prize." A loud voice pulled her out of her inner sorrow and look to see Kirdi was staring at her worried. She shook her head the sudden gloom washing away and smiled at her little guide making it chirp and purred leading her elsewhere in the carnival. As she followed once again, she the game that had caught her attention before, a row of painted wooden horses were being pulled along a fake river couple she recognize some didn't look like horses at all. But, one made her skin crawl looking at it was skeletal compared to the other models its coat a mix between bruised skin and mud its thin mane and tail looked like it was made from reeds and drowned plants.

(AN: chugging along, leave a review if you want. N.F's first appears in next chapter woo.)


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Wisteria stared at the nest like structure that apparently was the big top where the real magic was a being showed off. She had felt the buzzing of magic all over the carnival grounds some stronger vibes from the rides, but nothing serious. Yet, she hadn't felt anything like what she felt from the metal nest it was heavy and alive bubbling up only to crash down in a wave flooding the area.

"Sorry the show has already started." A man standing by the entrance of the Wisty just smiled as she waited for him to register Kridi "But, I'll let you in, enjoy the rest of the show." She nodded, smiling, she had gotten used to the special treatment that her little guide, though she did not want to use it as much as she was during her day.

Lights strobed admits blackness inside the metal nest, orchestral music swelling from a live orchestra somewhere out of sight. Wisty looked up at the source of the light to see an impressive sight, acrobats, flipping and twisting in the air falling only to be caught another swigging by.

"Dere, dere." Kridi quietly chirp to here pulling on her pant leg, she looked at her guide who was trying to point large stands curved with the nest. She followed Kridi as quietly up slightly creaky stairs, sliding into a seat, Wisty look back up at acrobats her eye widening at her new view. The gymnasts weren't just tumbling through the air, but planks of wood and sheet of metal and fabric. Each one falling thought a pilferage of material ether to be caught or bounce back up. The music slowed moments later as acrobats finished their act bouncing and smiling as the nest went black.

"Weren't they something folks?" The lights flashed back on the bleaching interior of the nest. Everyone going silence as if startled by the sudden change "Come on they jumped through solid steel just for you." A male voice rang out a second time, the crowd in the stands erupting in applause and whoops "Much more like it." Wisty swiveled her head downward to the source of the booming voice. Standing below the stands in the dirt floor of the nest. A young man slightly older than her stared up at the crowd with eyes a dark rust dispersed with a soft wheat color that took in the world. "I see that some of you are just arriving I'm Nikolas Ansel Forest, you're ring master for the night." He gave a grandiose bow long lose strands of dark amber hair falling down as he removed his top hat swiftly.

'N.F.' Wisty thought, the person how had invited her to the carnival was standing below her playing to the crowed around her. There was something off about him, an allurer, an attraction like quick sand that pulled her in the more she tried to pull away.

"Now I know to the magic users in the audience now that was probably nothing." He stood back up with a warm smile that reminded her of summers of her past "Like this." He moved his arm in a wend arc, the ground shifted beneath him metal spires growing out of the soft dirt "Or this." The spires spun pelleting out platforms on its tips "Not that impressive." He had his arms outstretched gazing at the noisy crowed Wisty remained quite trying to figure out what about Nikolas's display. Her mind differing and growing foggy as she tried to place it. "But, what is impressive is nature." His voice snapped her back to attention, making her forget the immediate question. "Without magic animals evolve and change to survive their environment." He continues, as four massive cloth covered cages were pulled out some sort of their hiding place and forming a semicircle around him. "Now before are next act, let tell you that there will be no magic, just one girl and four rare wolves from the glacier cliffs of the far north." Wisty stared at him confused, why after advertising displays of real magic would have an act with normal wolves?

The room went dark, and Wisty got her answer as one by one each cage was opened. The, wolves were massive and snarling, standing eight feet tall ripping the clothes that covered them. The first wolf, was a pure white and eyes red as jewel tore its focus away from the fabric first. It raised its head to the audience trotting around the metal poles, as the other three watched giving low growls. Another wolf with a thick crimson coat of fur copied the movements of the first, but, unlike the first had its eyes trained above. Wisty almost out of indicted glanced up the small platforms that had been darkened so the crowd would remain focused on the now parading black and pale yellowish wolves. Bouncing from platform to platform was an outline of a woman guiding the mammoth beasts along.

The lights shifted than reveling the woman tall and willowy, whose hair fell in soft curls around her face and neck standing on the center platform. She seemed so serene dressed in deep green a small blue ribbon rapped around her ankles and wrists. The crowd around Wisty was in collective shock and awe, at the revel. The wolves now bristled a growled at the woman above as she shakily hopped to the next platform, less gracefully than she had in the dark. There as a quick bark from the yellow wolf as it knocked down the pole and platform, making the tumble to the dirt floor on her back.

The music that had been playing stopped, and the massive wolves encircled her. Wisty stood up wanting to help the woman only to feel a weak grip around her wrist. A quick glance reveled Kridi staring up at her through the fabric slit, the curiosity seems to beg her to stay. She pulled way not caring about the semen she would create for herself. The red wolf barked and lunge at the moment Wisty jumped off the stands. She stopped at the edge of the dirt, the massive wolf suddenly falling on its side. The music, picking up in a loud pounding, primal sound, and the audience cheered clearly seeing something Wisty missed. The crimson beast staggered back up gnawing at a blue ribbon wrapped around its foreleg trialing back to the woman how was obscured from Wisty's view. A deep snarl escaped the throat of the white wolf, and Wisty tried to intervene her feet seeming to be glued to the soft dirt below her shoes. The colored wolf opened its snarling maw and snapped its jaw down at the woman, all the air caught in Wisty throat and went dead silent.

She gave a large sigh, as the wolf's head emerged the woman preached its eyes the same blue ribbon tying the breast muzzle shut. "W-Wiiiisty!" the small voice of Kridi whispering down from their seat in the stands. Wisteria nodded up to her colorfully dressed guide, accepting the nature of the act and that the woman in green wasn't in real danger, and went back to her place in the audience. From her seat she could see ongoing actions of the woman and the gargantuan wolves, it pattern of attacking a defending that became more quick and flued with each repetition. Eventually the pattern change as two of the wolves had gotten tethered to the metal poles, then like lighting the massive black wolf was blinded by a the ribbons and tricked into its cage. Finally the white wolf was left snarling limbs bond in the center. The crowd cheered once more as the woman bowed, Wisty couldn't help but clap along.

The lights in the nest once more dim to blackness, and it was quite except for excited chatter. Wisty watched Kridi's head swivel about and smiled how interesting her guide was "hey Kridi?"

"Umm?" Kridi hummed and looked up at her. Wisty fished for the right words to say, suddenly filled with questions some she wasn't the little curiosity would be able to answer. The lights came back on then, giving up on asking anything at the moment she turned back to the dirt to someone who wasn't Nikolas, dressed in a ringmaster's getup the large top hat obscuring the face of the stranger. Wisty watched the stranger stand perfectly still, warily for a few moments as people around her started to mummer worriedly. A large crack shacked up the stands making jump in shock which quickly evolved into screams and astonished gasps. Wisty just sat there eyes wide, but not at frightened. For the stranger in the top hat had wings; as long as the body that it protruded from with dark leather stretched over thin bones with needle like wing tips.

"Sacred, ya'" the stranger laughed, looking up at the frightened audience, reveling the face of a man in his late twenties a massive black marking of a spider on his cheek "wasn't she lovely." He gestured somewhere behind him with a gloved hand. "Now don't you worry, Nik is stepping out to prepare for the finale." he said in a reassuring tone, the crowds in the stands shifted uncomfortably "I'm Eremiel, and I'm Nik right hand man, well at least 'till he finds at special someone who is more important." He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly, some people giggled as Wisty forced the joke over her head "But I think we should start the next piece of entertainment." Eremiel gave a bow his fluttering wings accenting the motion, as the metal nest went dark one more.

Wisty smile with excitement, the winged man failing to announce the next act. She sat there in the darkness as music stared playing it a slow creeping melody with a beeping bubbly beat, the entire instrumental was very off-putting and made her a bit drowsy. Several lights of blue and purple shade illuminated the darkness then. Wisty's eye snapped into focus the dirt floor of the nest was a reflective shimmering like stained glass the music incensed its tempo swelling the air the metal nest shifted buzzing alive with its own power. The shimmering plate bubbled with the beat thin liquidity tendrils moving upward swaying with the colored lights, the crowd watched hypnotized by the dancing substance. Wisty was sadly not as entertained the music was slowly giving her a headache, and the dancing glass that was in making her nauseated, looking through the sea of faces glad to see she wasn't the only one not enjoying this. Looking over the faces one more she was relived all the unhappy and pained faces were those of magic users or once were. The music ended as the lights changed back to a normal, the dancing substance froze into an alien crystal-like statue.

"Beautiful isn't it" the winged man said, walking between the still tendrils "What you before you is an example, harmony between science and magic, the Atlas Carnival has several doctors, engineers and high-ranking scientists. All how have taken many a young magic wielder under their wing" he turned the surprising piece of information into a joke. "Now I need a volunteer." Eremiel walked around the stands, many people shouting to get picked. After a short moment the winged man came down from one of the far off stands with a small girl who Wisty recognized, the last time she that child was from the side-walk as the girl and her mother waited in the excision line. "Now all you need to do is hit it with this little hammer. "He handed her a miniature mallet, the girl stared up at the winged man with a look Wisty couldn't understand. Seemed fearful, but, the small girl's eyes were so sad and empty for that to be truly the case. "It's okay."Eremiel said gently, kneeling between the statute and the girl "Now on three." The girl swung the mallet at clear crystal like structure "1, 2, 3." A loud blink sound vibrated from the substance cracks spilling over the smooth surface, a soft melody increased in volume as the statue fell apart in a thick glittering cloud.

"Let's give it for that brave soul!" Nikolas's voice boomed as the cloud dissipated walking out enmities the glittering derbies, the small girl sheltered from the blast huddled under Eremiel wing. The child held something up to the winged man briefly as picked it up and tied it around her neck, before sending her back to her place. "Now I think we've got to be rapping this show up we'll take one request from the audience, now what we need you do to pick the best one we need you to speak all at once." The audience laughed and Nikolas nodded waiting penitently for them to begin.

"Wispy! Wispy!" Kridi waved loudly, trying to draw attention to her. The crowd started to yell their own request as, Wisty tried to make her guide stop hoping she wasn't noticed.

"What did you say, sir?" a spotlight swung around the stands and Wisty's seat, then back down to the nest's entrance out of her view.

"I didn't say anything." a shocked man's voice came up from the speakers above the stands, the voice sounded familiar, but Wisty could pinpoint who it was.

"Of course you did we heard you." Nikolas spoke Wisty noticing that neither Nikolas's nor the winged man's voice actually came from the speakers, a cold uncomfortable feeling shot up her spine "Come on don't keep the people waiting."

"I want." The male voice growled "I want you two to show these innocent people who you conned here what you're made of."

"What we're made of." Nikolas threw his head back in laughter "Oh good sir we are not earth-shaking fire spewing titans." he straightened himself up as Eremiel motioned to someone outside the dirt floored pit "We are just a simple entertainer with abnormal talents." Nikolas said with an innocent tone and Wisty couldn't help but agree and with a quick glance around she wasn't the only one. "But, you requested this." He started to unbutton his vest exposing a completely white dress shirt.

A stage hand came out with a large roll of cloth and placed it the winged man's feet. With a swift motion Eremiel spread out the cloth, sharp metal glittered as each knife, baled and recognizable weapon was revealed against the colored cloth. The winged man picked up a large set of blades that looked like they have pulled off a lawnmower, he held them up like a hand fan letting the audience take in the weapons before randomly tossing one at Nikolas. Without turning around the strange blonde had caught the blade a breath away from his back, the crowd cheered as Wisty felt a shift in the air .the quick sand like sensation that became more powerful, almost physical like a whirlpool. She watched, trying to keep balanced as the piece of metal in his hand peeled apart and coiled around to reformed itself, suddenly with a slide of hand two more curved blades were flung at him. Nikolas swiveled around in fluid motion facing the incoming blades and with his free hand snapped his fingers. The metal curved weapons stopped in midair a rippled of awe crossed the audience. The air around the blades distorted as the metal quickly lost its luster and crumbled into dust mixing into the dirt ground. The coiling metal in his other hand, finished its reformation in miniature sculpture of a rose. Nikolas looked at the finished product twirling the metal rose between his hands before tossing off into the stands, walking over to Eremiel a content smile his face, patting the winged man on the shoulder.

The crowds erupted into shrieks before Wisty the young amber haired fell to his knees doubled over. A red blossom spreading his white dress shirt, the winged man just stood over him watching intently. The audience where frozen in fear as the nature of situation sank in, Wisty was already halfway down the stairs the thick pulling feeling that gravitated Wisty to the fallen ring master had been severed. She stood on the last step and watched as the dripping red fluids turned into thick cooper scented mist. The dreadful vapors made Wisty physically sick with bad memories, the mist consuming the young man.

A loud drumroll made her jump as a pang of irritation at being tricked by the magical circus act. The haze became denser twisting and dripping the sound of metal thumping in the dirt, after a couple moments the drum roll stopped and changed to another music with that a suspenseful tone. Wisty started to get worried once more shooting a glance the winged man who was in seeming in standby mode as the grossest scene kept unfolding. Eremiel held his hand out silent order for her to stay back, Witsy's nostrils flared at this as the winged man reached into swirling cloud slowly with great tug pulled out the young man out. The crowds cheered more in relief than in real enjoyment, Nikolas look at the crowed his eye glanced over than looked over at Wisty. He seem to stare with a half conscious curiosity.

"You okay?" she mouthed, and the young man nodded giving a goofy smile and Wisty couldn't help but smile back. Nikolas turned his head back to the winged man he was leaning against and the two bowed Wisty watch as the young man struggled to going through the motions, as the lights darkened into blackness.

The lights came back on the two ring masters no longer in front of her, as an audio recording stating that the show had ended and to proceed to the exits to meet the performers outside and other things she didn't pay attention to. Kridi hopped through the sea of people looking up at her expectantly, before beckoning to follow. The dark night sky loomed over head as she exited the grounds around metal nest where packed with people crows around small demonstrations the performers set up. She waded through the crowd many people hand her flyers of many attraction and shops she flipped through the many colorful leaflets.

 _Pine Rest Free Medical Clinic_

 _Golden Three Catering Company_

 _Eye-Q Learning center_

 _Eye-Q Jr. Class Room Readiness and defense against the dark arcana_

 _Lotus Eater Entertainment_

Wisty was surprised that how many separate business where traveling around with the carnival. Looking up, she had noticed that she had drifted far from the crowds she looked around to see her little guide starting up at her expectantly then turn over her shoulder to several colorfully dressed oddities. Kridi continued the motion, hopping up and down looking at her with eagerness.

"Bye then." Wisty kneeled down to her little guide, Kridi chirped with an emotional tone hugging her "go on join your friends." She quietly pushed the curiosity off her.

"Wuv wu." Kirdi cooed running off into the group of oddities. The chattered for a moment before skirting behind a line of tents and stalls, the last oddity to disperse was half the size of Kridi with long apelike arms and two grossly expressive yellow eyes that consumed a quarter of its face. It started at her as if she was the most entertaining thing world, but darted a way like a rabbit the seconded she noticed it.

Wisty left alone was surprisingly tired out from her day off, but she didn't want to end the day with the strange empty feeling that circus performance gave her. With a small huff, she walked around the grounds to find it strangely sparse, several of the rides already shut down as many of the stalls and other attractions were closing down with alarming speed. Within minutes she was left in the dark without even a warning, she lit a small flame from the tip of her finger. Eerie shadows of the carnival swayed with the small light, the cold abandons buildings seeming to constrict an outside light from entering. Wisty deciding to be smart, but, boring and head back to her motorcycle her footsteps crunching underneath her rhythmically.

She was halfway to the exit, to life fighting with city she was tasked to bring it to its feet to the conical that she was slowly losing touch with, to a brother whose own life was drifting away from her. She stopped something taking away her downward spiral of negative thoughts. The soft beckoning sound of a piano accompanied by small bell chorus, Wisteria couldn't help go to the sound out of sparked curiosity. She extinguished the flame as she got closer to a small lit area several groups clumped about some singing a hymn that she couldn't make out, a sweet smell mixed with pine and mint wafted her way giving her a pleasant chill. The sight was inviting she sneaked closer to the gathering but didn't start mingling with the others, feeling out of place.

After a few minutes Wisty had confidently blended in the others in the crowd, sadly conversation didn't get farther than a nod of acknowledgment. As she moved around a strange detail of gently hymn that floated around the chorus change from singer to singer. Lines she heard like _Day for rising, night for sleep_ that where sung by a child would be replace with _Chaos banish, order keep_ when sung by an adult. She stood around and listen to the felling a slight shifted the air with a sudden feeling that she was unwelcome , no, in danger something awful she could feel it.

Before she could the lights in the small area exploded with light, the people in the crowd screaming or crying as blackness engulfed everything. Wisty instinctively lit a flame with her left hand, checking to see if the people where all right, she swallowed not seeing anyone.

"Is anybody her-gagh!" She screamed feeling an immense bone crushing weight on her right hand. Her flame dimmed to half its strength as she examined her hand, it looked normal and the pain was surprisingly gone. Wisty turned to the exit thinking to leave before anything worse happened, she turned back now and hearing a silk slithering noise. She barely made it the as the fire that danced in her palm went out 'what the.' He thought her magic wasn't gone, but she couldn't get it move from hand as creeping numbness engulfed it. Her breath, picked up hear a loud crash behind her making her sprint using here memories to make it back to her motorcycle. Her body aching as if being bitten by a thousand spiders.

(AN: finally! this chapter was soooo hard to write. Comments, concerns, suggestions let me know. What do you think is going on so far?)


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Whit walked through the hall of the government building that housed Wisty's and his office. He paid no mind to the jumbles of people, mostly adults shouting and waving large packs of proposals at him to get his attention. He was too fixated on the newspaper in his hand, on the front page there pictures of his sister smiling and following around a short court jester looking thing. Whit dared not look down at the actual story written about i her though. Even when the media praised them more than any celebrity before, they twisted him and his sisters into exuberantly exaggerated portrayals of who they really were. His eyes drifted through the pages of text until, he saw a picture of his sister face full over concern standing in a dirt floor arena. On the other end the picture stood two men the taller dark hair one stared off into the distant, but the other stared at Wisty with a lopsided almost drunken smile.

Don't get your hopes up Superman. Blurted a large caption at the bottom of picture.

"Indeed." Whit thought in agreement. Wisty had made a half-hearted vow as leader that she would be a good example to all young girls that 'true love doesn't exist in some man, but in friends and family'. In short, she was going to stay independent and unmarried despite everyone perusing her to do the opposite. Whit wasn't sure how long she could keep that declaration, but he knew it came out of pain. Wisty never had the best luck in love as well as Byron and Pearce leaving deep scars on her heart.

The sound of his sister's shrieks and screams transported him out of his thoughts. He opened the door causing three housewives to fall back first on floor, the woman looked up at him with respectful but nervous smiles. Whit glanced up to see Wisty tips of her hair curling with flame, her eyes wide with dark circles under them as if from lack of sleep one finger pointed at the three prone woman.

"Hey Wist, how was the circus." Whit walked into the room calmly giving the woman time to scurry away.

"It was fine." Wisty sat down with a huff flames dissipating. As she calmed Whit noticed that wrapped his sister's neck and draped over her shoulder, was a pale yellow scarf.

"So figured out which proposals we should present to the council?" He asked not thinking much of his sister's choice in clothing.

"I know that we're not presenting" Wisty said tearing at three proposals.

Whit noticed she was distressed "do you want fake another Excision ban proposal?" he offered.

Wisty rolled her eyes then plopped her head on the desk "I would but, I think Terence will be specious after three times in a row."

"Well we need to pick something." Whit said shifting through the pile of papers on the desk "Okay, how about this one."

Wisty looked uninterested as he began to read through the proposal to summarize it for her.

"Okay, this one is actually good." He began Wisty still not believing him. "It's pretty much asking for the government to sell the lands what was abandon or damaged during the reigns of The One to Darrius."

"Sure let them build on unmarked graves and places that used to be portals to Shadow Land." She grouched

Whit scratched his hair "I'm sure that not the writer intend."

Wisty just stared at him so tired, her hand reaching under the yellow scarf scratching her neck.

"Why don't we give the council a choice they vote for this, or they can vote to make a memorial to all who died during those time." He said trying compromise with her.

She continued to mess with her neck from under the scarf, before noticing her brother was waiting for an answer "Sure." She said yanking her hand down.

Whit nodded "So I'll get the meeting set up the meeting do y-."

His words where cut off by the door to the office flying open.

Emmet stood in the doorway panting hair and shirt drench with sweat "Guys… hospital…. Freaky stuff…. Cops news."

"What's going on?! What's happening at the hospital?!" Whit ran to him knowing that Janine was current at work in the emergency room. Emmett just panting trying to wheeze out an answer.

"Whit let him breathe!" Wisty stood up helping Emmet into the chair, the young man continue to pant and wheeze.

Whit summoned up a large glass of water holding it out to Emmet. With shaky hands Emmett took the glass swallowing the water with massive gulps.

"Okay, slowly tell us what's going on." Wisty said trying to stay calm.

"The hospital…is under a massive security lock down." Emmet gasped trying to put thoughts into words.

"What's happening?" Whit asked worry still plastered on his face.

"Don't know Janine called me to get you guys."

Whit looked at him wondering why Janine wouldn't call him first. "Emmet you stay and rest, Wisty we need to get to the hospital. Now!" he stood up his worry overpowering his curiosity.

With quick and stealthily movements the duo snuck out a side entrance to avoid the mods of people waiting to present their proposals. Outside Wisty quickly jumped on her motorcycle zipping off leaving Whitford to get in his car and pull out the parking lot.

The city streets were crowed, more so than average. By the time the two arrived several squads of police cars lined the perimeter of the hospitals, News vans stationed a couple of feet away cameras crews and live reporter soaking up the scene.

Wisty managed to pull up to the barricade "What's going on here?" she shouted to a group police on the other side.

"There is unauthorized person administering unknown treatments to patients." The leader of the group said back to her, then walked up to the barricade.

"Can't the hospital's security do something about it?" Whit asked running up behind his sister.

"They would if they could find the culprit."

"What do you mean?" Wisty asked then looked at her brothers the two for a moment the two must have had the same thought.

"Beside the descriptions we have mange to receive from the known patients currently given illegal treatment by the intruder." They got their secret answers from the leaders mouth "Neither security nor staff have seen this intruder."

"But everyone is sure that this person doesn't belong?" Whit asked sounding calm and authoritative.

"Yes, we plan to raid the hospital and question everyone in the building until the intruder is found." The police man explained with a socking coldness.

"Let us go in first, give us a half hour to investigate." Wisty spoke up and almost every one turned their heads, looking at her as if shocked. She wondered what she had said or how she said it to deserve such a look. "If we find nothing your team my proceeded with that plan." She gave squeaking compromise, the group and her brother relaxed. Her fingers twitched trying to stop her hand from going up to the scarf.

"Okay, an hour thirty." The leader of the group said, and Wisty relaxed.

"I'll go through the ER you take the front entrance." Whit looked at her with his own plan, he wanted to see Janine. Wisty could understand his worry even though, she no longer wanted to love anyone outside of her family and friends. She understands him and worries about Janine as much as anyone else.

Wisteria and Whitford went on their separate paths around the hospital building, each losing sight of each other in moments. Wisty didn't know what to if she found the intruder.

Attack them? For what? Question them? About what?

As she stared at her reflection in the dark glass of the sliding doors, she slowly slid her hand under the yellow scarf and ran her fingers along the spot she had been scratching at. She gave a sigh of relief the sensation that had made claw at that spot before finally subsiding, she readjusted the scarf and put on a straight face then bravely walked in.

A gust of cold wind greeted her as she entered the darkened main lobby of the hospital. Two receptionists siting behind the front desk, acting more they were on break than on lock down straightened up seeing her enter. "Lady Allgood." One of them said in a sweat voice said that stopped unsure what to say.

"What can we." The other receptionist picked up in the others place, pausing short not sure what to say either. "Help you with?"

"Dose this hospital have a security room? A place where all the camera feed goes?" The words fell out of her mouth, before thinking to say "I'm her to help with the lock down issue."

"Yes." The one closer to the edge of the desk spoke up "I'll take you there."

The woman walked her to a medium-sized room, ice-cold and dark and for a brief moment Wisty had one more reason to be thankful for wearing the scarf. The receptionist left her saying something about not being allowed to leave designated areas during lock down. Wisty kept going in one wall aglow with almost a hundred screens showing the inside of rooms and down hallways a slightly plump man hunched over playing and rewinding cretin screens.

"Fond anything." She asked the guard moving beside him trying to pinpoint something out in the blurry flood of images.

The guard rubbed his face, his voice muffled. Wisty could see the man was under stress, yet at the same time wasn't on her side with this.

"Nothing?"

He just shook his head cheeks red visible in the light of the screens, and she wondered how long had this man been stuck in the chill of the room.

Then she got an idea staring at the screen almost praying for the mystery person to pop out from around corner, Arms raised in perfect surrender. Then with a quick glance at the exasperated guard she had an idea. "Got a walkie-talkie? My brothers in the building he can help."

The man nodded pulling out a large black rectangle, he spoke into it the changed the channel. Relaying the same gruff message over and over for several minute before everything going silent.

"Wisty." Whit's voice crackled across the speaker of the device.

She gave a dramatic sight and with a flash of her hand had taken the walkie-talkie from the guard. "Whit? Where are you?" she practically breathed into the device.

"I'm with Janine." His voice popped in and out "What do you need?"

"I'm in the security room." She answered trying to articulate her idea to her brother and the guard with as little words as possible "Can you get the room number that, this mystery visitor was in?"

There were long pause between each response Whit going on the worlds hardest scavenger hunt to give them the right room numbers. The guard scrambling to pull up the closet cameras creating a path through the hospital, starting at ER going up into the ICU the to the pediatric unit than looping down to the small mental ward ending right back in the ER. The guard narrowed down the time frame examining the mass of screens like a hawk.

"There." Wisty almost jumped up from the set the guard had offered her. Her finger trained on one of the screen viewing as side hall out of the pediatric unit.

"How did I..." The guard mumbled trying to zoom into the footage.

Out of the farthest corner of the screen, a vaguely female silhouette blipped out of existences before getting close enough to the camera. Wisty tightened her scarf nails digging into her palm her brother and her shared worry confirmed. The intruder had used magic to get around, teleportation or invisibility she couldn't tell. A heavy coldness formed in her stomach in that moment. The realization that once anyone outside the hospital heard the culprit was magic the City's paranoid hate for the thing that was supposed to save them, would growth out of control.

Wisty reached for the walkie-talkie, to tell Whit, to ask for help, so he could tell her that there was still time. She gripped the black rectangle like a vice, the speaker crackling in her palm. She could hear her brother on the other end, though she didn't know what to say anymore. Staring up at the screens at the men and woman dress in black and blue marching in from every door it was plain to see that they were out of time.

(AN: Hello and thank you for reading! Also BIG shout out to Light of the Rising Sun for leaving those amazing Reviews. If you interested go check out their profile they are currently writing a wonderful crossover of Frozen and Witch and Wizard. If you liked my work go check my profile for my other Fic's or use the link to my Fictionpress where I'm writing an original fantasy story. )


	7. Chapter 6

Part 2: A year and a day

Chapter 6

Wisty ran through the halls the sound of marching and shouts closing in all sides. She panicked, clarity was not with her. Thoughts that she had failed and the city would be a rebellion if word got out of her discovery.

"Whit!" She screamed not caring who really heard her as she stumbles around like a child awaken from a nightmare. "Damn it Whit! Where are you?!" She needed him in that moment to keep a level head and still tell her everything was going to be fine.

Her voice died on the third attempt to call for her brother, startled by booming voice behind her. "Halt, put your hands where I can see them."

She turned to see the scours of the voice, a tall muscle build man in full riot gear. It was clear the police outside didn't expect them to find anything and started without their own investigation. Her stomach twisted knowing that she couldn't keep her discovery a secret, she couldn't let a dangerous magic wielder run rampant.

"Wait aren't you Wisteria Allgood." The man said in a tone that would be used to calm a wild animal "I found the other Allgood." He spoke in to the radio trying to maintain the same coddling tone, but she could sense the nervousness in the grown man's tone.

There was a crackled response on the other end, the man eyeing her with growing agitation. Wisty felt pangs of anger sparking inside her, glancing about the blank walls of the hospital she wondered how quickly she could traverse hall and not getting noticed.

"Okay Miss, I need to escort you out….for your safety." The officer said been as clam and formal as situation permitted.

Wisty gave a long heavy sigh. "It's okay I know where the door is." She returned the civil tone, the quickly turning to the exit.

"Miss you just can't." The man fiercely griped her wrist.

She inhaled sharply trying to mask the pain, she was over with the day. Then with barely a thought she escaped the man's hold on her by turning into a humming-bird.

"Miss!" The officer shouted her as she zips about him, before head down one of the hall her little bird body bee lining for the nearest exit.

Once outside Wisty circled the area looking for Whit, spotting him encircled by a group by a group of police and reporter on either side of him. Wisty zipped down will willing herself to change back, and flopped to the ground like a dead fish. She could only gasp as she hit the ground, the massive group backing away in what could be considered as collective shock. Before, swarming about her like ants to sugar.

"Out of the way!" Whitford and a couple of officers voices echoed through the crowd "Make room."

"Wist?!" Whit broke through the crowed "What's going on?" he shouted see his little sister stagger to her feet.

Wisteria coughed looking at the crowed around her "I'm-I'm fine." She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck.

"What happened?" Whit whispered into her ear, griping her shoulders leading out of the crowed.

Wisty snarled at her brother for treating her like a child "I said I'm fine!" she pulled away from as a camera flash went off.

Sadly, the sibling's troubles only started there. After an embarrassing walk escorted by a large squad cops, there was hours of interrogation and post investing to prove their findings. Before leaving the rest of the detective work to the professionals, this would have been fine if not for a mere week later.

When word had gotten out to the news, including the intruder was a female and use magic to move about unseen. This lead to a flood of false reports and many girls and women, including Wisty's own mother, being sent in for questioning.

The tension in the city was electric, as "The hunt for the witch doctor." The media turned a rather important investigation, into the hands of protesters from every belief even some One-isms poking out of cracks.

Then as it all went silent went, a report from the hospital in all started the debacle. In the transition area between the intensive care unit and the pediatric one. There was a little boy how became comatose after a Lost One failed to completely consumed his soul. A few days after the unknown visitor's intrusion, he woke up much of the shock to the specialist that said his survival was nonexistent.

Investigations concluded an unknown injection wound at the base of spine was the only reason for his recovery. With was impossible to do, since the boy was tied down with so many machines just to keep him breathing. Yet, after a firm reminder that the intruder was a magic user impossibility had to be thrown out the window.

The Allgoods, not even made aware of such important information were shell-shocked by the people's reaction.

"Save the good doctor!" and "Wickedness stole his voice!" painted the city in everything from crudely made poster to radio announcements.

Wisty could practically see the dived the scandal created as she made her way for a scheduled council meeting. She stopped her motorcycle caught sight of piece of graffiti that she was seeing more of as each day pasted.

A hand roughly the size of an actual hand with a marking in the middle of its palm. The in palm of the one Wisty found etched into a store window was a perfect spiral, but she'd seen ones with different types of stars and eyes.

She placed her head with in the outline, and felt the thinnest strand of magic. She gasped her hand flying up to her scarf rubbing her neck. Quickly she took a picture of the hand planning to show it to Mrs. Highsmith to see what these hands really were.

A brief ride later she enter the council hall late. Giving an impressive of what seemed to be a heated debate between her brother and orange turtleneck wearing Terence.

"The boy is practically brain-dead besides eye contact he refuse to make any type of communication." Terence said his hands gripping the edges of the podium like an old-time politician.

Whit shook his head at Terence staring him down like a misinformed child. "I wouldn't consider walking around and making clearly thought out movement's brain-dead." His voice calm and innocent, a smile painting his features that said 'yeah I called that bluff.' To his opponent.

Terence grip tightened and Wisty could see that the straight-laced punk had forgotten. Her brother was still in contacted with the hospital staff thanks to Janine. "Still it's idiotic that you of all people Whitford that you want civil immunity for a terrorist." Terence put on shocked faced, whisper of shock rippling around the crowed.

"Using the term terrorist mean the action of the intruder were meant to send a message of terror!" Wisty made her way on the stand conveniently shutting down Terrance, with nothing more a definition of his favorite buzzword. "Now that we've got that out-of-the-way, you all should have gotten copies of two proposals." She turn to the crowed of kids that made up the rest of the council, ignoring Terence's retreat. "I'd like input and votes by the end of the meeting." She said looking thought a provided agenda of today's meeting.

The sound of papers fluttering indicating that most of the room didn't the two packet ahead of time. "What's got you high-strung?" Whispered her brother noticing her stiff behavior, leaning in trying to gauge that was wrong.

"Rough day…" She didn't want to her brother, and opted for a half-truth. The day was fine she just wanted to be over, and deep jittery feeling sad if she didn't plow through it she'd do something amazingly stupid.

Whit narrowed his eye at his sister, gaze pinpoint on the scarf wrapped tightly around her neck. "How long are going to wear those scarfs?" When she didn't answer he reached out to pull the cloth off her neck.

She violently jerked away from his touch "Stop it!" her eyes went wide. What was meant to be a whisper for him not to see what she had under the piece of fabric, now echoed in the large room all eyes on her. "Yes." She quickly points to a girl who looked like she was going to ask a question.

"Um." The girl looked around her face showing the embarrassment Wisty wished she could show. "These proposals work really well together, can't we just do both?"

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Whit answered only for another person to stand straight up.

"But, if we sell the land won't that mean we have to send the carnival away!" They shout a worry look on her face. Wisty's eyes winded flattening her hands against the wood of the podium, something about the Atlas Carnival leaving gave a feeling from years back. She had accidentally let go of balloon, her heart sinking as it raised drifting to the sky. She cried the day she let go of the balloon, would she feel anything if the circus went away.

"More reason to put the land up for auction. If anyone's been to that circus recently it's turning into a proper" Terrance made her head shot up and narrowing her eyes at his smug expression "and illegal settlement." The others started to mummer even her brother pondered the statement.

Wisty gritted her teeth, at the silent accusations he was making. "You want to evict them?" from both the officers and media investigation of the carnival couldn't find any evident connecting the carnival to the incident in the hospital.

Terrence raised his arms in the surrendering motion "I wouldn't say that Wisteria." He says in mock innocents "If they want to stay, they could buy up the abandoned districts."

Whit's and Wisty's eyes met unsure if that was even possible.

"But, who know what people like them would do with it?" continued Terrence with a sneer "historically carnivals like that tend to lead to crime, anyone remember Coney Island?"

Wisty's face flushed with anger 'what was his problem?' She looked a Terrence, touching her scarf lightly she relaxed. Maybe there was actually a good reason to send the circus away, but it would kill her to admit it out loud.

A boy stood up suspicion in his voice "Um where did the Atlas Carnival come from?"

'Everywhere.' Wisty thought, but continued to keep her mouth shut if told the council about the little boys from the desert. Everyone even her brother would jump to the worst conclusions, she scanned the crowed than stopping a distant pair of eyes. Color of old rust with flicks of soft yellow, which sliced into her with a near physical force.

She turned an awful felling in chest, a rotten mix of shame and embarrassment "Th-this has gotten off topic." She turns to audience, moving away from podiums. "Let's call in a day leave you votes in the box by the door." She started to move to the back of the room, only two things in the half-way dispersing crowed.

The first thing she noticed was that almost every other girl in the room was wearing a scarf, it made her feel strange to see so many copying her. The reason she wore the scarf around her neck, wasn't what the surrounding girl probably thought it meant. It made her want to rip off the stupid strip of cloth a scream 'see! This why I'm wearing this ugly thing!' But she wouldn't, not in front of her brother who would flip out and worry. This was a problem she was going to solve on her own.

The other thing was that he was gone, the ring master of the Atlas Carnival, Nikolas Ansel fricking Forest was gone. He sat her there among skeptical children, watching Terrace border line called his circus nothing more than a hive of criminal activity. He watched her, a fellow magic user, who he'd invited to enjoy herself at his carnival, and didn't raise a hand to defend him.

Walking out in the street looking for a shred of Nikolas's presence, she knew that if the circus left it would devastate her. Because she knew it would be her fault, not some vote on a proposal. What was worse that he was a wizard in a place of power, if the past has taught her anything. Wizards that held sway over a group, don't forgive easily.

After an hour of uneventful searching, she went back to her apartment. The setting sun casting the living room in an orange glow, most of the cats sleeping in a fuzzy pile or sunbathing. She stretch out on a chair closets the widow with the view of the skyline over the carnival.

Carefully, and little self-consciously she unwrapped the scarf and looked at her reflection in the dark glass of the window. She traced her fingers along the dark marks and jagged feathery designs.

"What are you?" she asked the tattoo like construction that was blazon across her sink. For the past couple weeks she done almost everything in her powers even burning the flesh around it, which was an awful idea. To purge the clearly magical mark from her, fearing some Family like cult getting its hand on her.

She looked away from her reflection and to the skyline, she often debated going back to the carnival. To just simply ask what happen to her, but couldn't will her do it.

She was afraid and tired of being wrong. Tired of be betrayed, she deeply wanted in this strange world full of enemies, that the city has one faithful ally.

In some way she'd hope, the Atlas Carnival would be that ally, they learn to survive outside The One's grasp. Traveled and picking up traces of cultures from lands she'll never see in her lifetime. Along with ideas and things from a time long-lost buried under The One's deeds.

She laid her face against window sky finally going dark, her eyes focused on the space above the circus. Giving a painfully exhausted sigh resting her eyes, letting the thoughts the day slip from her mind.

Wisty eyes opened slowly, groaning out of her rest. She turned to the phone that was blaring out from her kitchen.

"Hello?" she answered barely holding on the phone.

She pulled the phone from her ear as a voice came through "Hey Wisty?"

"Ross?" she glanced over to the electronic clock in corner "It's four in the morning!" anger giving her a fresh wave of energy.

"Yah I know." Ross responded clearly distracted.

Wisteria let of an exasperated groan not wanting desperately to go back to sleep.

Ross voice bleat from the phone "Wait don't hang up!"

"Then what do you want?" she yelled at the phone.

"Turn on the TV to the news! Something really cool is going on."

"K." she sighed in exhaustion before hanging the phone up.

Racking her fingers through the snarls of red hair she entered her bedroom, she stared at the blank television. Quickly and uncaringly she flipped to the news, laying down on her bed with a piteous huff.

"Well that's an important question." She shot straight up hearing Nikolas's attention grabbing voice fill the room.

She rubbed her eyes just make it wasn't some sleep deprived hallucination, but there he was leaning back idly in his seat smiling at the talk show to his left.

He looked around the set not actively looking anything, just staring at something the camera wasn't showing. "The choice of the Titian Atlas for the symbol for our carnival, has origins more in our philosophy." He answered the question she missed "One day did a vote, Prometheus, Sisyphus and a few others where in the running, eventually Atlas won."

"Your circus must run under an interesting philosophy?" The interviewer lend in and Wisteria knew what trap the ring master fall in to, it was one her and Whit had experienced firsthand. After the questioning was over they'd chop up the interview so it convey that ever they wanted.

This live version was just a formality.

Nikolas made a minuet eye roll, before putting on a heart melting "Oh it's nothing to concerning." His voice was laugh "After all you are getting distracted for the person you really wanted to interview." He tilted to the side gesturing.

The camera started to pull back to reveal the old man from the movie tent. Thin bony hands clasped together face turned to the floor in obvious boredom.

The look on interviewer's face a smile masked of shock and bitter embarrassment, it was hilarious for Wisty watch. "Oh yes, Mr. Pashan, along with being a director of several movies, you actually got your start in poetry."

The name did surprisingly rang a bell to Wisty. The Pashan's where a group of a father and three sons that directed and sometimes produced long and clichéd horror movie sagas. She lend into the TV screen trying to determine which one the old man was, the father was obvious choice but, then were where his kids?

'The One you idiot.' Apart of her mind sniped at her, one of the targets of his occupation where celebrities.

Pashan words clipped through the air in a short "This is correct."

"Have you made any new pieces?" the interviewer asked with any expectant grin.

"One, song now." Wisty shivered at the cold and bored response, it was clear that he was done with interview.

"Really?"

Pashan nodded, Nikolas rubbing his bony back with a look of utter human empathy. Wisty didn't know that people could do that anymore, just to feel happy or sad for someone without judging them.

"Yes he wrote it during _The One's time_ , it's quite an epic. If you like I could play it for you?" The contempt in Nickolas tone when openly mentioned The One was a breath of fresh air. If they kept that one line in when it came time to edit the footage, one could ever see him as an enemy.

"Oh of course." Nikolas calmly smiled, at the show host's answer. Standing up in a fluid practically rehearsed movement. The ring master stood up his stride followed by the camera to a small electric piano and metal chair, haphazardly place at the edge of the set. He sat down at the piano testing the keys blinking curiously at the synthesized sound, his hand going to the dashboard of settings head tilted to one side as if he was trying to hear something in the distances.

Once satisfied with his instrument, he started to play a soft lullaby note dancing into a fully formed piece. Wisty laid down exhaustion over ruling any interest, she kept listening as Nickolas began singing. It didn't surprise her, the way Nickolas sings it was operatic and alluring a perfect match for a person whose job was to command the attention of a crowed.

As she drifted deeper in slumber so did the words of song, leaving behind the emotion in the singer's voice. It was raw, angry and sorrowful, it did bring her mind back to a time when she was in the Resistance. She drifted envisioning that she was in Garfunkel's, crashing on a dust ridden couch after a long day of fighting and sneaking around.

The morning came sooner than she'd wished, after rushing to make herself presentable for the ever-present and judging gaze of public. With a new black scarf tied firmly around her neck, she jetted for the government building where Whit was already waiting for her. Her stomach twisted seeing a whole squadron of police cars setting in front of the building.

Stopping her bike she run inside slamming the doors wide open "What happened?" she recoiled as her voice reverberated thunderously throughout the packed room.

Whit emerged from the crowed his hand raised, like Wisty had become some rampaging beast that needed to becalmed "Someone came in and graffiti in our office." His statement sounded soothing but was unbelievably blunt.

"And you're calm about this?" she asked in disbelief.

Whit let out a sigh and rubbing her shoulders as he led her to a less packed corner of the room "Because thankful that's all they did, security cameras caught the whole thing." He said in a relaxed and surprisingly worried tone.

Wisty's mind was a whirl of thoughts. The strange symbols popping up around the city resurfacing through the mental murk.

Whit gave an encouraging smile patting her shoulder "Wist don't worry this isn't the hospital, we're going to get the ones that did this." A chill went through her when he mentioned to hospital. Could the same person be behind this?

"Let me see it." She sounded far away looking for the door to the office they shared.

"It okay." But, Wisteria had made her way out of his grasp and heading to their office.

Wisty wasn't sure what she going to see when she opened the door to the office. Some part of her wanted see the strange markings that littered the dark corners of the city, or a simple 'red heads suck' scrawled on the wall for some mundanity.

What she saw made her body jolt and mind swim. On the wall behind their desk was a perfect circle take up all the available space. Black paint smudged from poorly rushed cleaning and repainting, a short phrase surviving the shotty repair. That made Wisteria shout and scream profanities each time her eyes fell upon the thick blocky lettering.

'What once was One now is Two the power stolen bold and true.'

Wisty spun around hearing her brother's footsteps behind her. "You think this is okay!?" she pointed at wall with a lit finger.

Whit gave a sound half way between a cough and a groan closing the door to the office. "It just some stupid vandalism, we'll get it clean and the people how did this will get arrested." He answered tried to calm her.

"It's not about that Whit!" She glared at him leaning against the desk "It's about that, do people really believe that?" she point to the wall again, and Whit turned to phrase that to could of meant many things.

He looked at her sadly finally seeing what she did "We're not The One, if that's what you're asking."

"Then what are we doing wrong?" she squeezed her eyes shut, frustrated tears pooling at corners of her eyes. "Are job is heal the city with M and love, and it falling apart!"

"Well we have a lot to help people recover from, if there's ever going to be able see magic as good."

It was true, between The Wizard King, The One and his son and even Wisty at some points, the majority of the city saw magic as destructive and a tool for evil. Along with no way to regulate who did and did not get powers without excising everyone which wasn't going to happen.

"Then what's the plan?" she asked unashamed to ask her big brother for help on this problem.

Whit rubbed at the corners of his mouth before answering "I was thinking of an Arts festival, we have people fix up the old art gallery and museum. Accept new pieces to be but on display, y'know since the old is." Guilt flickered in his eyes for a moment "Gone."

Wisty nodded remembering of a fond memory when they had done something similar, inwardly filched remembering that a certain snake was there. "That sound great, the people can reconnect and maybe get some closer." She keep a hopeful tone, after all that was in the past. "Until we get the verdict on those two proposals."

"Yeah and we can get the Circus's help to."

"Why?"

"Because, as wrong as it sound, they know how to sell magic to people."

'Sell?' As the word echoed in her mind it did sound dirty, magic wasn't a material good. It costed nothing but, was worth the world to her. She couldn't or for the sake of being right wouldn't imagine any physical thing she'd give her magic for.

"Think of it like this." Whit sat up on the desk beside her "The Atlas Carnival came in during a rocky time between the M's and non M's, the thing at the hospital happened and things are worse." He said explaining to her more with gestors than words "Yet, people still go there."

In short while Whit and her where floundering to make the city get along, The Atlas Carnival already knew how and was profiting big time from it.

"Okay, gives you and Janine a reason to have a date." She said agreeing to plan

"Actually I was wondering if you could be the one to ask the circus." Wisty said with a stranded tone "Tonight if you could, like you said we should have this thing before the final decision is made on the proposals."

Wisty burned a look at her brother, she wasn't sure why he was making her do this when it was his idea. There was no need to rush his plan voting wasn't even compete let alone gone through the rounds of counting and recounting. Her jaw clenched as her fingers traced the edge of the scarf. "sure, I'll just go now." She kept her tone relaxed as she made her way back in to the crowed room. Deep down she was thankful for Whit, he gave her a reason to return to the circus which wasn't her own.

It was late in the afternoon by the time she got close to the carnival grounds, it was packed even more so then when she was their opening day. She wandered up and down the maze of elaborately decorated tents and stalls. Wondering where Kridi was, the little enigma would be useful to get her to the right people quickly. "Hey Kridi?" she asked to the air hoping it would be the tiny entity was in ear shot.

There was no response, it was strange to admit it but she missed Kridi. Even tempting the thought of taking the little guy home, she wasn't sure what she or her cats would do with him but, it was only a thought.

Wisty stopped mid stride seeing someone out of the corner of her eye. "Hey!" she shouted seeing the woman from glacier, that took on for massive wolves with nothing but ribbon.

She stopped and stared at Wisty, head tiled to the side confused gloved hands clasped behind her back.

"Hi, um." Wisty sighed stopping the formality pulling off her scarf in front of the woman. "Can you help me with this?"

The first words to come out of her the woman mouth wasn't English or a language Wisty recognized. Judging by the look of utter shock on her face, she assumed it to be a spur of the moment profanity of some sort. "Come, COME!" Woman said in a flustered accented tone.

With very little choice Wisty retied her scarf around her neck, following g the woman wearily. After what seemed like any aimless goose chase the woman flagged down some one much more recognizable than her.

Eremiel was surprisingly older than Wisty first thought, during the performance she assumed that he the same age as Nikolas. Yet, seeing him up close at his full height and muscular build she estimated that he was a least in his late thirties.

Woman stomped over to him, berating him loudly in her foreign tongue punching him in the chest with her thinly gloved hands. Wisty watched feeling award as, Eremiel responded awkwardly curling away from the woman who only came up to his shoulder.

He turn his gaze Wisty his expression cooling "You have something to say to Nik?" He grumbled more than asked.

"Yes. There an event me and my brother-"

Eremiel raised his hand in disinterest "Say no more, I'll take you to him." He stated walking off to the farthest corner of the carnival grounds.

"So what's with the wings?" Wisty asked starring his back, thin black strikes marking his tightly folded appendages.

"What about them?" he turned his head her eyebrows raised.

"Why do you still have them?"

Eremiel turned completely to her, shadow loom over her Wisty tensing in response. "I understand don't mean ill by your question but, for information magic is different for everyone." He leaned to her whispering harshly "And response to the user's body differently as well." He narrowed her eyes at her, scanning her for an uncomfortable moments if you asking why I don't wish away my wings? In short I can't." His words hissed as he continued on his way, in the direction of the tall building draped in ghostly fabric.

Upon their arrival at the building, Eremiel opened the door fist depositing her in a cold, silent room. Moving deeper in to the room out of nerves, Wisty's eyes fell on the contents of the room. Paintings, real handmade on canvas paintings. She examined a painting of a woman in a white dress, it was hard to if the woman was falling or floating, her hair and fabric spun in mesmerizing arcs about her slender body.

The sound of a door opening from the side, pulled her attention way the picture. Eremiel was holding up a metal to a bare stair well "up." He said leaving here to ascend the stairwell.

After another glance at the painting Wisty followed him up the massive twisting stairs. The climbing the stair up was a crawl, the bare window less walls giving no indication of what floor they were on or where they where going. Several more minutes past 'till they came to landing the door handle tied with a purple cloth.

Eremiel opened it for one more. "There another door with a cloth." He gave her a calculating gaze "Whatever you have to say to Nik, do it quickly." He continued in a more open but, argent tone. "He live in high up and complicate place so no one bother him."

Wisty nodded, after recently become the center of the city's attention, she could sympathize with the ring master on that detail. "Thank for the tip."

It was less of chore to find Nikolas's room than the rest of her journey. Her hand hovered over the door her mind doing a last-minute sort of her thoughts before nocking.

"It's unlocked." The voice that answered was clearly Nikolas's, but different more relaxed. With an under tone of something what made her inwardly shivered. She opened the door slowly peering into room, it was organized chaos. Book and bobbles of all sorts consuming their perches, bottles of liquid clumped together in a corner and a heavy wooden desk which must have been a nightmare to bring up. Sat in the center of it all papers flooding door from its surface and on to the floor.

She walked in slowly catching Nikolas arms crossed staring rather blanking out a window. She started at him, his lean muscles, the crumpled white dress shirt he wore, the disheveled hair racked through one to many times .it was like staring a different person then when he was on TV or performed in front of a captivated audience, she looked down at the concrete floor feeling embarrassed to see him this away.

"Hello?" He sound caught off-guard.

She look up quickly. "Hi, I'm Wist-eria Allgood." She held out a hand to him, want to keep this encounter as business like as possible.

Nickolas took her hand his grip firm and sure "Nice to finally meet you, your majesty." He smiled softly kiss the back side of her hand before letting it go. "Care for seat?" He asked pulling over a chair to the desk.

Wisty stood there for a moment, a part of her wanting to slap him for his act of 19th century chivalry. She then stared at the chair presented to her, exhausted from the hike up there she took it. "Thank you and I'm not a queen, The City is a democracy." Taking his statement as simple miss information.

He rolled his shoulders face warm and neutral to her words "Is there anything I can get you food, drink?" he asked looking her over, his rust colored eyes searching for something.

She swallowed a deeply self-conscious feeling it gave her "I'm fine." She searched her mind her the proper way to continue the conversion. Damming her brother for wanting her to do this, and damming herself wanting to get it done and over with so quickly, making a big mistake in the process. "I was here to return you kindness actually." She gave nervous smile.

Nikolas tilled his head slightly, as he waited for her to continue.

"There is an upcoming Arts festival, and my brother and I were wondering if you'd like to participate in it." She said quickly, her gaze pointed down wards. She didn't understand why he made her so nervous, he wasn't threating her and if he was she could easily take him.

Nikolas lean against his desk probing his chin in his hand. "How so?"

"I saw you."

The air in the room was heavy, Wisty looked up at him shocked by her own words. She did not want to tell him about the council, and judging his animated change of expression nether did him.

She opted for the best alternative. "On the news, your singing its good and the paintings." She looked at him her legs suddenly feeling like stone.

He nodded stiffly getting up to sit behind his desk "Fine, just give a date and I'll set up a band." He grabbing a loose piece of paper and stared to write. "Two songs and the anthem to the Atlas Carnival should do since, I don't know what the others will do." He look at her briefly before going back to his work. "As for a painting, I'll try but, I'm how you say protective of current thing after The One."

Wisty nodded simply saying "I understand."

Silent stretched between them and her wonder if their paths could have crossed before this moment. Could she of found him and made him a Resistance member, could of the Atlas Carnival find her and Whit save them instead. Would an encounter like change the mandated destiny that The Book of Truths had for them.

See closed her eyes will thoughts from her head, the past was in the past. She was content with the life she had made for herself, and like her magic nothing was worth trading it for.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Nikolas finally broke the still, standing up. "You can stay and rest, it's a real pain to get up those stairs."

"Thanks but, no thanks." She willed herself to stand up, finishing what he brother sent her to do. "I'm really busy and my brother would like to know all this." Wisty turned heading for the door, her scarf on the other hand slid seamlessly off her neck and on to the floor.

Nikolas made short cough sound, the sensation of his eyes on her neck felt worse than a thousand self-afflicted burns.

"It's not a tattoo." She defended herself scrambling for the scarf.

"It's okay I know it's not." Nikolas's where calm to calm for Wisteria liking, a part of her told her to look not up.

"HEY wait, stop taking yours shirt off!" she screamed at him.

Nikolas stared at her a moment, his cheek reddening the third button of her shirt coming undone. Pulling back the fabric softly, there on chest just above his heart was a sight that made her go cold.

A black marking of a terrifying predatory bird lock in an eternal scream, the same as the one on her neck.

(AN: This is the beginning of the second act. Hope you found it as enjoyable as I did. This chapter was kind of long so forgive me for the excess errors. Ps: readers your reaction of this chapter will gauge how I proceed with the story.)


End file.
